In May, 24 women, children and babies – including one midwife – were killed when gunmen entered the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in western Kabul and opened fire. Frederic Bonnot / Médecins Sans Frontières
In May, 24 women, children and babies – including one midwife – were killed when gunmen entered the Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in western Kabul and opened fire. Frederic Bonnot / Médecins Sans Frontières
People react at the scene of an attack at an MSF (Doctors without Borders) clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
People react at the scene of an attack at an MSF (Doctors without Borders) clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
An Afghan man reacts at the scene after an attack at MSF (Doctors without Borders) clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
An Afghan man reacts at the scene after an attack at MSF (Doctors without Borders) clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
Babies are taken away by ambulance after gunmen attacked a maternity hospital, in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo
Babies are taken away by ambulance after gunmen attacked a maternity hospital, in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo
People shift injured victims of a suicide bomb attack to a hospital in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. EPA
People shift injured victims of a suicide bomb attack to a hospital in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. EPA
An Afghan security officer carries a baby after gunmen attacked a maternity hospital, in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo
An Afghan security officer carries a baby after gunmen attacked a maternity hospital, in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo
An Afghan man reacts after his relative was killed in an attack at an MSF (Doctors without Borders) clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
An Afghan man reacts after his relative was killed in an attack at an MSF (Doctors without Borders) clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
Afghan women sit in an ambulance after being rescued by security forces during an attack and gunfire at a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. REUTERS
Afghan women sit in an ambulance after being rescued by security forces during an attack and gunfire at a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. REUTERS
People shift injured victims of a suicide bomb attack to a hospital in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. EPA
People shift injured victims of a suicide bomb attack to a hospital in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. EPA
Smokes rises from a hospital after gunmen attacked in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo
Smokes rises from a hospital after gunmen attacked in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo
Afghan security forces arrive at the site of an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. REUTERS
Afghan security forces arrive at the site of an attack in Kabul, Afghanistan. REUTERS
Afghan security personnel arrive at the site of an attack outside a hospital in Kabul. AFP
Afghan security personnel arrive at the site of an attack outside a hospital in Kabul. AFP
An Afghan soldier stands guard near the scene of an attack at an MSF (Doctors without Borders) clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
An Afghan soldier stands guard near the scene of an attack at an MSF (Doctors without Borders) clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
An Afghan woman is brought to Emergency hospital for medical treatment after she was injured during an attack at an MSF (Doctors without Borders) clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
An Afghan woman is brought to Emergency hospital for medical treatment after she was injured during an attack at an MSF (Doctors without Borders) clinic in Kabul, Afghanistan. EPA
Afghan security personnel arrive at the site where gunmen attacked, in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo
Afghan security personnel arrive at the site where gunmen attacked, in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Photo

Comment

After the Afghan maternity ward attack, MSF has no choice but to close it

We have to protect our staff from such gruesome attacks in the future

Thierry Allafort Duverger

June 25, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

About 10am on May 12, the maternity ward opened six years earlier by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood of Kabul, was attacked. The assailants went from room to room, killing 16 expectant mothers in their beds. Five of them were about to give birth. Several other people were murdered, including a midwife employed by MSF and two children aged seven and eight, who were at the hospital that day to get their jabs.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for this horrendous attack. The Afghan government immediately accused the Taliban, which denied any involvement; the US accused the ISIS affiliate known as Islamic State Khorasan Province. The assailants were reportedly killed during the assault carried out by Afghan and international armed forces, while a hundred or so terrified mothers and MSF employees hid in the hospital's safe rooms. And no official investigation has produced any evidence on who perpetrated the attack.

One month later, we know next to nothing, but we know enough: whoever the perpetrators were, the targets of their attack were the Hazara women of Dasht-e-Barchi and the healthcare staff. And this is no isolated tragedy: it is part of a series of attacks against this particular Shia minority group, as well as civilians and aid agencies. It is also one among several assaults mounted against MSF, with more than 70 of our patients and personnel losing their lives since 2004.

Mr Reza's family, including one of his brothers, stand in the family's compound. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Mr Reza's family, including one of his brothers, stand in the family's compound. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Ahmed Reza, 34, holds his son Abbas at his home in the western outskirts of Kabul, a place of relative calm and safety. His wife Rokaia has been brutally killed in the attack on the maternity ward in Dasht-e-Barchi. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Ahmed Reza, 34, holds his son Abbas at his home in the western outskirts of Kabul, a place of relative calm and safety. His wife Rokaia has been brutally killed in the attack on the maternity ward in Dasht-e-Barchi. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Ahmed Reza, 34, holds his son Abbas at his home in the western outskirts of Kabul, a place of relative calm and safety. His wife Rokaia has been brutally killed in the attack on the maternity ward in Dasht-e-Barchi. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Ahmed Reza, 34, holds his son Abbas at his home in the western outskirts of Kabul, a place of relative calm and safety. His wife Rokaia has been brutally killed in the attack on the maternity ward in Dasht-e-Barchi. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Fatima, 9 and her two-year-old sister Fereshta in their home in western Kabul. Their mother Rokaia was brutally killed in the attack on the Dasht-e-Barchi maternity ward. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Fatima, 9 and her two-year-old sister Fereshta in their home in western Kabul. Their mother Rokaia was brutally killed in the attack on the Dasht-e-Barchi maternity ward. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Mr Reza is not sure how to explain the attack to his two-year-old daughter Fereshta. “At night, she screams and cries, calling for her mother,” he admitted. “I don’t know what to do. We tell her mum is still at the hospital, and I even make pretend phone calls to my wife to calm Fereshta down." Stefanie Glinski for The National
Mr Reza is not sure how to explain the attack to his two-year-old daughter Fereshta. “At night, she screams and cries, calling for her mother,” he admitted. “I don’t know what to do. We tell her mum is still at the hospital, and I even make pretend phone calls to my wife to calm Fereshta down." Stefanie Glinski for The National
Agha Gul, a 35-year-old father holds his newborn daughter Zahra. Now I am both your father and your mother," he told her. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Agha Gul, a 35-year-old father holds his newborn daughter Zahra. Now I am both your father and your mother," he told her. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Mr Gul's family sits in their living room, a photo of the children's mother on top of the shelf. She was killed in the attack on a Kabul aternity ward that hasn't been claimed by any militant group. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Mr Gul's family sits in their living room, a photo of the children's mother on top of the shelf. She was killed in the attack on a Kabul aternity ward that hasn't been claimed by any militant group. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Mr Gul's family sits in their living room, a photo of the children's mother on top of the shelf. She was killed in the attack on a Kabul maternity ward that hasn't been claimed by any militant group. Stefanie Glinski for The National
Mr Gul's family sits in their living room, a photo of the children's mother on top of the shelf. She was killed in the attack on a Kabul maternity ward that hasn't been claimed by any militant group. Stefanie Glinski for The National

In June 2004, five employees – two of them Afghans – were killed in the Badghis Province. Allegedly committed by a local police chief, these killings were treated in the most off-hand manner by authorities, with no one punished for it. This resulted in MSF withdrawing from Afghanistan for five years.

We returned in 2009 after negotiating an agreement with the government and the Taliban, which had since retracted statements it had made years earlier, declaring us as legitimate targets. In October 2015, MSF's hospital in Kunduz was destroyed by a US air force bomber, killing 42 people, including 24 patients and 14 staff members, and injuring 37 more. We returned to Kunduz two years later, after receiving assurances from all the armed groups with which we were in contact that we could resume our activities as humanitarian healthcare providers.

We were aware that our presence in Dasht-e-Barchi carried risks. This neighbourhood in Kabul, home to much of the Hazara community, has been the target of murderous attacks. One such attack, on a university in August 2018, left a deep impression on our personnel. And yet, we just could not believe that the worst would happen nearly two years later; that men would kill women about to give birth, as well as their babies. But it did happen, and it could happen again. Today, we have to accept this reality.

We cannot protect ourselves from those determined to kill our patients and colleagues. Reinforcing security measures, such as building higher walls and increasing the number of safe rooms, will not be enough to protect us from another nightmare.

Today, Afghanistan is a high-risk country. Since its emergence there in 2014, ISIS has grown in prominence, as evidenced by the attacks it has perpetrated on civilians and aid organisations in recent years. Meanwhile, the cycle of violence and reprisals between Taliban and the Afghan National Army continue unabated.

Intra-Afghan negotiations for a peace deal remain uncertain. And there is the risk of those in the business of violence refusing to compromise or seeking to demonstrate their importance by exercising their power to harm. In such a setting, the lives and deaths of humanitarian healthcare workers and patients are little more than adjustment variables on the agendas of these forces.

If we were to continue working in Dasht-e-Barchi, we would have had to be honest with our staff, telling them that attacks, such as the one in May, could happen again and at any time. And that would have meant MSF becoming an organisation that accounted for the loss of human lives. To our minds, this was unthinkable.

'In the current context in Afghanistan, we feel that the lives of humanitarian health workers and their patients are just an adjustment variable on the agendas of the political and military forces active in the country. Only a change in this context might change our analysis,' said MSF chief Thierry Allafort-Duverger. Courtesy Medecins Sans Frontieres
'In the current context in Afghanistan, we feel that the lives of humanitarian health workers and their patients are just an adjustment variable on the agendas of the political and military forces active in the country. Only a change in this context might change our analysis,' said MSF chief Thierry Allafort-Duverger. Courtesy Medecins Sans Frontieres

This is why we are ceasing our activities in Dasht-e-Barchi and withdrawing our personnel from the area. We will not be reopening the maternity wards. It is a heartbreaking decision, but one that we believe is necessary.

The Dasht-e-Barchi maternity ward was the only provider of emergency obstetric and neo-natal care for the underprivileged people living in this part of Kabul. It was one of the busiest maternity wards supported by MSF in the world: in 2019, almost 16,000 women gave birth in that ward. More than 350 employees devoted their days and nights to the cause.

Some of them are willing to take a risk and return. But we refuse to send them back to a place where courage and hope would be the only means of protection against another massacre.

Thierry Allafort-Duverger is general director at Medecins Sans Frontieres

What are the main cyber security threats?

Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

Why your domicile status is important

Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.

Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born. 

UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.

A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.

While you're here
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlanRadar%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2013%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIbrahim%20Imam%2C%20Sander%20van%20de%20Rijdt%2C%20Constantin%20K%C3%B6ck%2C%20Clemens%20Hammerl%2C%20Domagoj%20Dolinsek%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVienna%2C%20Austria%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EConstruction%20and%20real%20estate%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400%2B%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20B%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Headline%2C%20Berliner%20Volksbank%20Ventures%2C%20aws%20Gr%C3%BCnderfonds%2C%20Cavalry%20Ventures%2C%20Proptech1%2C%20Russmedia%2C%20GR%20Capital%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'The%20Alchemist's%20Euphoria'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kasabian%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EColumbia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cultural fiesta

What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421,  Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day. 

Full list of Emmy 2020 nominations

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Don Cheadle, Black Monday
Ted Danson, The Good Place
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Ramy Youssef, Ramy

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
Issa Rae, Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish

OUTSTANDING VARIETY/TALK SERIES

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, The Morning Show
Brian Cox, Succession
Billy Porter, Pose
Jeremy Strong, Succession

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Laura Linney, Ozark
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Zendaya, Euphoria

OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM

The Masked Singer
Nailed It!
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE

Jeremy Irons, Watchmen
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education
Paul Mescal, Normal People
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True

LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE

Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America
Shira Haas, Unorthodox
Regina King, Watchmen
Octavia Spencer, Self Made
Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere

OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES

Little Fires Everywhere
Mrs. America
Unbelievable
Unorthodox
Watchmen

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dead to Me
The Good Place
Insecure
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Schitt’s Creek
What We Do In The Shadows

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

Better Call Saul
The Crown
The Handmaid’s Tale
Killing Eve
The Mandalorian
Ozark
Stranger Things
Succession

 

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED

Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.

Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.

The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.

The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.

A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.

More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
While you're here:
OpinionComment